Marny Lombard

School officials across the Valley sent grateful thank yous this week to voters who agreed to support education programs with their tax dollars. "What a wonderful affirmation, not just here but throughout the area," said Dave Smith, West Valley schools superintendent. "It's been a great election for the Valley," said Harry Amend, Freeman schools superintendent.

Margie Luce makes science fun. Just ask any kid from Pasadena Park Elementary. "Who here likes science?" Luce asked one afternoon last week. Every hand in the gym shot up. Nearly 300 kids.

1. Wendell Smith leads his math class of 17 students at Evergreen Junior High. Typical Central Valley junior high math classes have between 25 and 28 students. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Inna Bagmanyan helps a young Russian boy, Andrey Rusavak, with the computer at Trent Elementary. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

The students at South Pines Elementary join others all over the nation in celebrating the life of Martin Luther King. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

In one corner of the room, Michelle Smith worked on telling time. With a mom's patience, she asked each first-grader to pick up a clock. They worked on easy times first. "Show me 3 o'clock," Smith asked.

1. Animal control officer Bob Smoldt lifted this angry male wolf-dog mix into the back of his truck Tuesday. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. This young adult wolf-dog mix rests quietly behind bars of the animal control truck. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Joe Michielli "talks" to students using his mechanical voice box. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Centennial Middle School students listen intently as Joe Michielli tells them how he lost his voice to smoking. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

In the Freeman School District, the highest scores on the standardized tests went to the eighth-graders. They scored in the 71st pecentile in reading and language, 73 in math and 77 in science. That's no surprise to Freeman Elementary assistant principal Kent Smith. Students in the rural district south of the Spokane Valley often perform well on the standardized tests. Kent described that particular group of students as high achievers and, to prove his point, checked in his files for their fourth-grade scores from 1993.

Teachers Bob McCaslin and Kathy Hinds check speed of car along South Pines Elementary School. It's a 20-mph zone and the car they are radar scoping is going 33. Violators will receive a letter from the sheriff's department. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

In September, on the first or second day of fourth grade, Eileen Lovell's students start taking tests. Or as she calls them, pretests. Lovell pretests her students in English and math because she wants to find out where they have "rusted up" during the summer.

Juniors at East Valley High had some of the highest test scores ever for the school. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Glenn Bewick, an East Valley High School senior, joined DECA after a lifetime of soaking up knowledge from his family's businesses. Not so classmate Jon Lavasseur. He joined the marketing program due to a scheduling glitch. "I got stuck in here by accident. But I really liked it," Lavasseur said with a quick grin. In four years of DECA, the two seniors have grown into the leaders of an East Valley program that develops national competitors almost every year.

Spokane County and Modern Electric Water Co. are talking about siting a new Valley Mission swimming pool on land on the south side of Mission Avenue now owned by the utility. The property is directly across from Valley Mission Park.

That Christmas trees is soon going to seem superfluous, messy and in the way. Who are you going to call? Your local high school band and color guards are recycling Christmas trees again this year. East Valley, West Valley, University and Central Valley high school band groups will operate drop-off sites and pickup services this weekend and next. The cost is $3 at any drop off site, or $5 for pickup service. The proceeds will help the bands and color guards with equipment and travel expenses. The trees are chipped and used as compost by a local farmer. Times and dates for dropping off trees are: Noon to 3 p.m., Dec. 28; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Jan. 3 and 4; and 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 10. East Valley drop-off sites are the East Valley High School, East Valley administrative building and Otis Orchards Elementary School. Call 921-8683 to have your tree picked up. West Valley drop-off sites are West Valley High School, West Valley administrative building, Pasadena Park Elementary School and the Circle K at 9119 E. Broadway. Call 928-2333 for tree pick-up service. University High drop-off sites are University High School, University, Broadway and Chester elementary schools, and 44th and Sands. Call 922-6848 for tree pickup. Central Valley drop-off sites are Central Valley High School, McDonald, Progress, Sunrise and Liberty Lake elementary schools. For pick-up, call 922-6819.

The children and staff of Hutton Settlement go for a walk to pass the time during the Christmas holiday. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Nate paul and Loretta Serbell are delighted to be at Stonehenge. The two juniors are among 10 East Valley High School students who traveled to England in November. Photo courtesy of Nate Paul

There are still openings for children at the Valley YMCA's Winter Fun House, running Friday and next week. The program for kindergartners through sixth graders offers games, activities and movies, a swimming field trip at the downtown YMCA, movies and a guest speaker who's a firefighter. Daily cost is $15 for Y members and $20 for non-members. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Children are divided into three age groups. Children must be registered in advance. Call the Valley Y office at 927-1474. Also, the Y is taking junior high students on a Silver Mountain ski trip on Dec.29. Participants must be registered Friday or Saturday. Call the Y office for more information.

School officials fenced off part of the playground at Pasadena Park Elementary School last week and this week to keep children off a failing sewage drainfield. An official at the Spokane Health District said children were at no risk, as long as they stayed clear of the fenced area. Pasadena Park principal Larry Bush and West Valley School District superintendent Dave Smith limited Pasadena children to playing on the asphalt, roughly 20 yards from a marshy area on the playground.

Lila Gray remembers the thrill of having her best schoolwork hung up at school. That's something Gray, who homeschools her two younger children, and other homeschoolers want to recreate, through an event called the 1998 Learning Fair.

The Leadership class at Horizon Junior High gets ready for a Friday dance. The class has raised almost $1,000 for Toys for Tots. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Spokane Valley school districts soon will ask taxpayers to approve levies for a variety of needs, ranging from new school buses to technology to day-to-day operating expenses. On Feb. 3, Central Valley, East Valley, West Valley and Freeman school districts will all put maintenance and operations levies before voters. Central Valley also will ask voters to support a school bus levy. West Valley and Freeman each will ask for approval of a technology levy.

This afternoon Mia Stocks and Tasha Box will don their formal gowns and get ready to say "thank you" to their elders, with a free banquet for senior citizens. The banquet will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. today at West Valley High School. Dress is semi-formal.

1. Longtime Valley benefactor Claude Morris bought this pup which will entertain the residents of Mission Ridge Assisted Living Home. Velma McKibbin and Jane Anderson play with their new friend. Photos by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Mission Ridge manager Monique Kolonko and Claude Morris enjoy her new puppy.

Six-hundred East Valley High School students learned last week about Romania - a land where farming is 100 years behind, where thousands of unwanted children are cast off into orphanages, where some parents actually remove an infant's hand or foot, so as to have a pitiful toddler who can beg. Hour after hour, Terri Teasdale, a volunteer for the non-profit Romanian Children's Fund, spoke and showed slides to upwards of 100 students at a time.